Her hands becoming claws, she jumped for the nearest tree and started climbing. She found a thick branch and crawled quickly along it. It bent with her weight so she leaped for another, swinging up into the next. She climbed some more, the night alive with the sound of the engines below her. She balanced on a branch, looked down, her teeth bared. To try to free Milo without first taking out the Hounds was a sure-fire way of getting him killed. Similarly, to attack any of the four Hounds that had him chained would also result in him being pulled apart. Which left one option, and one target.

She waited until he was about to pass directly beneath her, and she dropped.

She landed beside the Hound on the Harley, hands crashing down on to his shoulders. She yanked him off, dragged him backwards while his bike toppled, then grabbed his head, her claws raking into his face.

“Let Milo go!” she roared. “Take those chains off and let him go or I’ll kill your buddy!”

The revving quieted. The Hounds looked at her.

She had a sudden, horrible thought that maybe she’d already killed the Hound in her grip, that she’d lost her only bargaining chip. But, although the Hound wasn’t struggling, he was still staying upright under his own steam.

“Let Milo go!” Amber screamed.

Moments passed.

As one, the revving died. The four Hounds backed up a little, allowing the chains to slacken enough to lower Milo to the ground.

“Take the chains off,” Amber commanded. The Hounds got off their bikes, but didn’t move. “Do it or I’ll break his neck.”

The Hound in her grasp tried to straighten up, but she tightened her hold and put her lips to his ear.

“You try anything and I swear to God I will kill you without a second—”

The Hound spun on his heel, snapping his own neck while his hands closed on her upper arms. Amber cried out, let go, barely aware that the Hound’s body was powering her backwards even as his head was still pointing the other way. Then the head spun with another violent crack, and the Hound righted himself and slammed her against a tree. She glimpsed her reflection in his sunglasses and then chips of wood sprayed her face as a gunshot rang out. The Hound looked around in time to catch a bullet in the forehead. He went down and Amber scrambled away.

More gunshots. Amber couldn’t see where they were coming from. One of the Hounds ignored the bullet that hit him square in the chest. He couldn’t ignore the next one, though, the one that caught him in the head. He tumbled backwards, bringing his bike down with him.